A life insurance policy with you as the insured person might just be the best gift your family ever received.  Hopefully, if it’s a term policy, it’s a gift that will never be used.  Quite unlike the tie you will never wear, this will be a gift everybody will be glad it wasn’t used,

Okay, so I’m being a bit facetious here.  I, myself, would never give this gift to my family for Christmas (and I’m in the business), but if you have a family, this should be the gift you purchase (without putting it under the tree before you buy all the toys that will be forgotten in a few months or the clothes that won’t fit your kids within a year or the blender you thought, for sure, your wife would really love as a Christmas present.

Making sure your family, upon your death. would be able to maintain the lifestyle you have provided for them for many years to come, might just be the most selfless Christmas gift you can buy.

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In this profession, it’s not difficult to get into the daily minutiae involved in selling life insurance policies – from completing a mind-numbing amount of paperwork to working with sometimes-stubborn underwriters, etc.  On some days, one can get so wrapped up in these details that one can lose sight of why we do it.

Speaking to my client’s recently-deceased wife and helping her navigate through the claims process, I remembered (again) why I sell life insurance.  Sure, I earn a good living and I get to speak with a lot of interesting people from all over the country.  However, it is knowing that I am helping my clients to financially protect their families’ futures that makes this a great a great occupation.

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There are no claim forms to fill out and no limits to the number of times you or your family can use the card. Drug discounts are available only at participating pharmacies. The Pharmacy Discount Program provides discounts for its members at certain participating pharmacies for drugs and other healthcare supplies. You can also save on smoking cessation aids and diabetes supplies. These savings are based on the fact that we have over 56,000 pharmacies processing millions of prescriptions annually.

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Quoting & Status Tools on Producer World Our Quoting & Status Tools are fast, easy and convenient! Click on “Get a Quick Quote Now” to review all the Aetna Advantage Plans available to your clients. You can view the plan benefits, request a quote, receive your client’s rate and create a client account as well as download an application. If your client chooses to apply, you can also track their

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• Members received rate increase letters beginning the week of February 25th.
• Existing members can remain in their plan.
• Note: If any existing member elects to move to a different plan effective May 1, 2011, use the plan-change matrix, available on Producer World to determine if the member needs to be re-underwritten.
• Important: Members who elect to change individual plans will be issued a new policy and will lose their “Grandfathered” coverage status. This means the new plan will be subject to all changes in the recently passed health care reform act called The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
• To request a downgrade, members must fax the request to 860-975-1620, or email it to IndividualBillingandEnrollment@aetna.com.

 

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In the US many patients have access to basic forms of infertility insurance coverage as part of their employer’s health package. Unfortunately, however, many others who assume they have coverage are sadly mistaken. The issue is complicated by the numerous ways insurance companies attempt to define medical conditions in order, as it would appear to many, to evade financial responsibility.

The fundamental problem centers around insurance companies being heavily profit driven; making the least amount of profit when they have to pay out the most benefits. As a result insurance companies can be expected, where possible, to protect profits by finding ways of restricting the claims of policy owners, or preventing individuals from purchasing policies that are likely to prove expensive for the insurance company in the long run.

New laws will help protect a number of insurance holders – evasions based on claims that infertility was caused by a pre-existing condition may fail under the most recent health care legislation. However, legal arguments based upon the assumption that the ability to conceive is an unnecessary function in a healthy human are more likely to remain a strong legal loophole for insurance companies trying to avoid providing strong proactive infertility insurance coverage.

The core of the debate involves the central definition of health. The ability to survive in good health without having children appears to be a reasonable assumption for many, and by that argument the inability to have children is a great misfortune for some but not actually a matter of health per se. Legislatively speaking, a patient’s battle to obtain infertility treatments is seen as being little different from a fight to receive cosmetic surgery through insurance – a luxury health service rather than an essential one. By this argument infertility insurance is considered to be a luxury insurance only.

The simplest way to ensure that you have sufficient coverage is to specifically purchase an auxiliary policy covering fertility. As with any specialized policy, however, the premiums for such coverage can be relatively expensive. New legal considerations will reduce the problems of pre-existing conditions, making it easier for couples to obtain infertility insurance coverage, but the costs will nevertheless remain high. The advantage, however, remains very real, especially if you already have known risk factors for infertility.

The cost of one round of IVF (in vitro fertilization) is roughly $7,000 (USD). Several cycles are typically needed to come close to assuring conception in those conditions where IVF is appropriate. Additional therapies are generally needed, and certain conditions will require even more expensive therapies. Simple math will make it clear that an insurance policy, even an expensive one, will save substantial money over extended rounds of fertility treatments without insurance.

To find an appropriate infertility insurance policy it is advisable to explore several routes. If you have employer-provided insurance firstly investigate what would be involved in ensuring your policy covers infertility, or what would be involved in extending the policy. If you need to obtain separate fertility coverage, check through your work provider first. It would also be a good idea to confer with insurance agents, and to inquire with your doctor and your support group.

Dr Jan Reid PhD is a former medical researcher, who has personally dealt with the pain of fertility issues, and is passionate about helping others start their own family. To learn more about infertility insurance as well as further information on infertility symptoms, causes and treatments, visit her infertility information website here.

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Will Health Insurance Companies Help?

But private health insurers, that group that was one of the opponents to changes in the health care system, may be showing signs of compromise! Again, their recent flexibility may be a desperate move to keep the government from creating their own public health care system that would compete with private companies.

However, in a startling move, two large insurance groups have recently said that they may be willing to give up the practice of rating applicants by risk. Right now, people with preexisting health conditions must pay a lot more for individual health insurance than very healthy people. In the industry, this is called a “rate up”. Many uninsured Americans have health conditions, so they either cannot afford health insurance, or are simply declined by individual insurers. We assume that any planned government health program would be open to everybody without any risk rating.

Is This Compromise Enough?

This does not help everybody. I do believe that making health insurance more affordable for people with certain health conditions will reduce the problem, but it will not eliminate it. I still have some questions for the insurers and legislators.

Hope For Health Reform Compromise

• Premium Rate-ups apply to people with minor and controllable health conditions. But what about the millions of people who would be declined for health insurance because of more serious health issues?
• Does this lack of risk rating mean that everybody’s premiums will go up even more?
• Will there be government subsidies for people who still cannot afford the premium?
• What about small business owners who often suffer from risk rating of their small health plan groups? Will this practice also be offered to them so more small companies can offer a group health plan?

I am a little more optimistic because the insurers addressed the issue, which means they are thinking and talking about it. But I still do not think that this solves the problem. So the answer leaves me unsatisfied, and I hope next time they are willing to move a little further.

Has this helped? Please let us know. In addition consider using our FREE QuoteClix.com quote service to find a cheaper car insurance policy. Insurance rates keep going up and we have contacted insurance companies in all 50 states to help find the best price for your car insurance.

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For more information see: MultiflexDental.com

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The Times article looked at a recent study by Families USA, a non-profit, non-partisan health care advocacy group.

Research has shown a correlation between a lack of health insurance and increased risk of death. Those without health insurance are more likely to skip routine physicals and other preventive care, which means their medical issues advance until they are more difficult–and expensive–to treat. The uninsured are also more likely to forego prescription drugs and routine surgeries.

Other findings from the study include:

• 68 adult Americans under 65 die each day because they are uninsured. With the current system in place, that number will climb to 89 by 2019
• Mortality rates for the uninsured are 25 to 40 percent higher than for those with coverage
• Between 1995 and 2009, lack of coverage was the catalyst for almost 300,000 premature deaths

The article also stated an important fact: thousands of Americans, perhaps millions, experience a lower quality of life and poorer overall health because they lack of coverage. Chronic fatigue, underactive thyroid, frequent sinus infections, severe arthritis, a fractured elbow that was never treated–these conditions won’t always result in death, but without treatment, they can make for an agonizing life.

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According to the New York’s attorney general Andrew Cuomo, the company distributed an internal e-mail to employees which read: “I need you to devote the day to doing more postings on the Web as a satisfied client.” In 2009, the New York State Attorney General’s office charged the company with paying employees to fabricate “real-life” testimonials on its internet homepage. The company paid $300,000 in penalties and costs, and claims it has removed the fake testimonials from its Web site. This “astroturf marketing” strategy aimed to create a false grassroots buzz for the Lifestyle Lift procedure, fueled of course by fabricated testimonials.

So, how much can you really believe on a health Web site, or any site for that matter?

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Insurers can longer exclude or increase the cost of coverage for children with pre-existing conditions. This will take effect as soon as the bill becomes law. In 2014, this will be extended to all adult Americans.

Insurers can no longer drop patients or raise their premiums if they get sick. Dependent children will be allowed to remain on their parents’ health insurance plan until the age of 26.

By 2014, with the exception of low-income Americans, most Americans will be required to purchase health insurance or pay a fine. Employers with over 50 workers must provide coverage to their workers or pay $2,000 per employee.

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An article in the The Philadelphia Enquirer looked at Virtua Health’s new Health and Wellness Center, a brand-new luxury hospital in Washington Township, New Jersey. Here’s an excerpt:

“The 225,000-square-foot Washington Township facility, which opened in January, includes a same-day surgery center co-owned by the doctors, an express-care center, and a fitness center with indoor track, trainers, and heated pools. The assortment of services is targeted to the region’s baby boomers – and the well-insured, health analysts say – whose patronage has enhanced Virtua’s bottom line.”

Not surprisingly, the number of low-income patients Virtua handles is disproportionate to its market share.

Check out the full article at the Enquirer‘s website for more.

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According to an article from the Raleigh News & Observer, it’s an illegal maneuver in many states, but it’s happening anyway: “It’s a practice that’s on the rise, says Kristin Milam with the state Department of Insurance. [North Carolina] law requires that companies give their workers 45 days notice if they’re going to drop coverage. Milam says that employees of businesses that don’t follow the law often find out their coverage has lapsed when they go to the doctor’s office.”

If a complaint is filed with the state’s insurance department, the employer may be given an opportunity to reinstate benefits and pay the back premiums to fill any gap in coverage. If the employer fails to cooperate, the state will likely pursue a legal case against the company. State insurance departments will also help employees understand their options going forward.

The article briefly mentions a high-profile case of an airline CEO who terminated health benefits for over 300 employees without notification. He was charged with one count of willful failure to pay group health insurance premiums.

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In all, 90,000 patients die each year as a result of hospital-acquired infections.

The major culprit? Health care workers don’t wash their hands often enough, thus allowing germs to jump from patient to patient. The simple solution would be to require health care workers to wash their hands often, but studies have shown that it is extremely difficult to persuade health care workers to do this. So, the spread of disease marches on.

But there are other factors at work. Overcrowding, contaminated air conditioning systems, dirty ventilator tubes used in surgeries, overuse of antibiotics, etc. contribute to the problem. In fact, most patients who contract one or more staph infections while in a hospital were admitted to the hospital completely free of infection.

Beyond the pain and suffering of patients, superbugs cost the health care industry a fortune. For instance, a scheduled 4-day hospital stay for surgery that turns into a 40-day life-and-death struggle with a staph infection can end up costing a health insurance company hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional expenses.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a nasty bacterial infection that is resistant to a number of different antibiotics. Staph infections like MRSA are more dangerous (and far more difficult to treat) in persons with weak immune systems–making it especially dangerous for the ailing hospital population.

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